The Governess | | Cast : | Minnie Driver, Tom Wilkinson | | Director : | Sandra Goldbacher | | Studio : | Columbia/Tristar Studios | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Dolby, Full Screen | | Released Date : | July 31, 1998 | | DVD Released Date : | February 16, 1999 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Dubbed), English (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | July 30, 2005 | | Summary | Fury of a woman scorned. | Content
 | The Governess, a movie by Jonathan Rhys Meyers, starring Minnie Driver and Tom Wilkinson.
This movie is set in anti-Semitic, mid nineteenth century England and Scotland. The storyline revolves around a Jewish young woman, Rosalina Da Silva, who lives in London with her family. After her father is brutally murdered and leaves the family strapped with his debts, the family is reduced to impoverishment and social shame. Minnie Driver stars as the courageous and feisty, Rosalina, who refuses to take the easier way out through an arranged and loveless marriage. Instead, she decides to support the whole family by hiring out as a governess. To do this, Rosalina, not only displeases her relatives, but also has to pretend that she is a Catholic and assume a fake identity of Mary Blackchurch. She thus, becomes a governess to a strange and troubled Scottish family.
Finding herself in a strange land, she is immediately faced with difficult personalities that of her willful charge, (Florence Hoath), an insulting and unstable matriarch, (Harriet Walter), and a remote but brilliant, master of the house, (Tom Wilkinson). This man is a scientist who dabbles in early experiments in photography. To his surprise, he soon finds a keen intelligence and a hunger for learning, in his new governess. Inadvertently, Mary becomes his aide, confidante, and lover.
The storyline turns tragic with a fierce love triangle, where no one wins in the affairs of the hearts, but nevertheless, the feisty Mary exacts a fierce revenge and still comes out a winner in the end.
It is a troubling movie for those of us who dream of marriage, everlasting love, and family yet it shows the intelligence, perseverance and strength of a woman. It also teaches a strong lesson, as to never underestimate the fury and revenge of a woman scorned, especially, when the woman is as intelligent and perceptive as the one so well portrayed by Minnie Driver.
This movie is deeply thought provoking and not one that you will forget easily. From a historical point of view, it brilliantly illustrates the prejudices of both the Catholics and the Jews and in the end, shows just how common we all are in our human frailties, regardless of race or creed. The actors do an excellent job portraying such heavy and volatile emotions while remaining believably human. It is a film worth watching several times in order to absorb and unravel all the fascinating angles of a painfully complex story.
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| Rating | | | Date | April 22, 2005 | | Summary | But we can be any self we want, can't we? | Content
| The Governess was, by far, a very pitiful film. I do not use this word loosely, as it honestly was a poor excuse for a movie. I finished watching this feature with only one word on my mind ... "why"? Honestly, you could use this question at the end of every scene of this film and it would seem like it fit. There were so many inconsistencies that lead to a lack of development (both in the story and in the characters) which ultimately lead to a very confusing film with actors walking through the motions instead of giving any explanation. Scenes would occur with no foreshadowing, understanding, or drive to a complete ending. It was as if I was watching several different ideas thrown together without really any resolution. Actors were setting events in motion that did not seem to fit their character or really were resolved. This was my biggest issue with this film. The complete and utter lack of structure to this film brought all specks of foundation crumbling down with a genuine "ripple-effect" being felt throughout the rest of the film as a result.
Let me explain myself further on this lack of consistency throughout the film. I would liken this film to a bowl of lumpy oatmeal that had a zebra in it. It made no sense nor was there any logic behind it all. Minnie Driver was the worst culprit of this deed. Her character's lines were drawn very fuzzy and nearly transparent. She would do things like talk about sex all the time with her sister, but yet she seemed very open to sexual experiences all the time. She has her first moment of passion in this film, and there is no pain or excitement. It nonchalantly happens, and this just didn't seem to fit the original conversation that we had at the beginning of the film with Rosina and her sister. She is a very intelligent woman that accidentally finds a solution to Wilkinson's problem and suddenly wants full rights to his invention? That was confusing and completely random. Is it not obvious to anyone else that her teaching methods were non-existent. Anyone in their right mind could see that she wasn't teaching Cavendish's daughter anything. The sudden and awkward relationship that randomly forms between Driver and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers nearly had me laughing out loud. I thought maybe I had discovered some magic in this film as Rhys-Meyers literally "poofed" into the scene and suddenly caused some unneeded drama. It felt that the director (or writer) was thinking that the original story was going nowhere fast, so by adding this random character we may be able to advance the plot a bit (or confuse the lesser film enthusiasts). Well, it didn't fool me, I saw that he was nearly a "cut-and-paste" character used to strengthen an already weakened story. Don't get me started on the ending, which had no consistency to the rest of the story. Again using the "cut-and-paste" method, the writer of this film needed a way to just end the story, and this was the only solution they could arrive to. It is sad when actors are forced to do things out of character ... but I guess that is the name of the game in Hollywood. Fix until completely broken, or at least salvageable.
The remainder of the story was unexciting dribble. There were maybe a handful of neat cinematography moments where you could see that there was one sliver of creativity trying to peak through coupled with some bars of decent, period piece music, but nothing to write to Grandma about. More family structure with some stronger introductions could have strengthened this film a bit more, but as I stated before, by leaving open-ended scenes just lying around the entire film, you will experience a crack in your foundation. What may seem like a sturdy story, will eventually wear down over time, and by the end of this film I felt that the house was crumbling down on top of me. Wilkinson plays his normal self in this film, while Driver apparently did not want to get naked, but everyone else had too (I will have to see a doctor after those images were burned into my eyes ... eeewwww). Also, she wore the same dress everyday. That was disgusting and I could smell her through the television. Sex and dirty laundry. Now there is a great film for you! There just seemed to be some potential floating around here, but instead it was just rubbish. Nothing was answered, questions seemed to fall like snow in Alaska, and mediocrity seemed to reign supreme.
Overall, this could have been a decent film that combined the powerful themes of science and love together, but instead it was just pitiful. I cannot stress enough the disturbing fact that characters were going through motions without any sort of pre-explanation. I don't need cinematic moments handed to me like a child, but something should have been done to build a foundation. Just remember the oatmeal with a zebra analogy that I used. If you were as confused about that as I was, then you will completely understand the film The Governess, while if you prefer zebras in your oatmeal ... then, maybe this film is for you!
Grade: * out of ***** |
| Rating | | | Date | October 07, 2004 | | Summary | Minnie Driver provides a captivating and erotic performance | Content
| I have to admit I have a hard time wrapping my mind around the idea of Minnie Driver playing a young Jewish girl in 19th century England who passes herself off as a Christian to obtain a position as a governess to a family on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. She just sounds too "modern" to me for any character she plays to really feel at home for me in a period costume drama. That being said, Driver's performance in "The Governess" is nonetheless compelling and one of the more erotic that I have seen recently, and that surprising development is what you will remember more from this film than anything else.
Driver is Rosina da Silva, the eldest daughter of a well-to-do family in the Sephardic Jewish community in London. Instead of dreaming of being married, Rosie longs to be an actress, inspired by her aunt, who sings on the stage. But then her father is murdered and the family is faced with a mountain of debts. Faced with the prospect of being married to a rich older man, Rosie places an advertisement in the papers claiming to be a proper young Christian woman, named Mary Blackchurch, looking for suitable employment as a governess. So she finds herself being transported to the wilds of Scotland, where the green seems to go on forever, pretending to be a Gentile gentlewoman.
"Mary" is employed by the Cavandishes to take care of their young daughter Clementina (Florence Hoath), who has to be threatened into obedience before a bond can form between them. Mrs. Cavendish (Harriet Walter) has a lemon where no one should have a lemon and dreams of the pleasures of London; the only problem is that she has never been there. Mr. Cavendish (Tom Wilkinson) spends all of his time working in his laboratory on something he thinks is too complicated by the delicate minds of women. But whereas his wife is clearly beyond understanding anything from the realm of science, the new governess shows not only understanding but interest and aptitude. There's is a meeting of the minds and then other parts of the body get involved as well.
A complication to their private idles is Clementina's older brother, Henry (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers), who becomes infatuated by the young governess and never thinks that his own father is a rival for her affections. However, "Mary" wants a man and not a boy and while he would rather photograph his specimens she convinces him to photograph her as well. Thinking of the ancient Hebrews who made love while covered, she drapes a diaphanous cloth over herself in what becomes the basis for a series of subtly erotic photographs. Eventually, she will take some photographs of him as well. More importantly, she will help him solve the problem of fixing an image so that they do not fade.
Photography is a key part of this story and the gulf that divides the two lovers is defined more by their diametrically opposed approaches to the camera than by the differences in their genders and religion. He sees photography as simply a tool to help him make a scientific record of reality, while she takes the artistic view that it is an opportunity "to capture the essence of people and to fix a memory." Ultimately the meeting of the minds and bodies proves too much for Cavendish, who fears her superior intellect even more than he is shamed by her passionate nature. Rosie will not find happiness here, but she will learn what happiness will mean for her in the rest of her life.
Written and Directed by Sandra Goldbacher this 1998 film does make Rosie's Jewishness a key part of her character. Because he mother is Italian she has a convenient excuse for her olive complexion and can honestly say that she is not Catholic. She continues to practice her faith in private, although the Cavendishes are patently incapable of recognizing any of the trappings of her faith. Of course, if Cavendish knew that his lover was a Jewess he would no doubt be repulsed. But he is captivated by her eroticism, which Driver creates for Rosie. The great lesson here is being erotic is not how you look, but rather how you act, and in "The Governess" Minnie Driver proves she knows how to act. |
| Rating | | | Date | September 07, 2004 | | Summary | Better the second time around... a family in need of Freud | Content
| I am a period movie fan. I first saw this film when it was new in the rental stores. At the time I thought it was interesting, but it did not rate as high as other films I was into. Recently I decided to watch it again while I was fiending for a movie with Jonathan Rhys-Meyers in it and I must say it was worth a second viewing.
Minnie Driver plays Rosina, a young Jewish woman who must find employment to help support her family after the murder of her father. She gets hired at a home in Scotland by cold woman with two children and a husband who spends the bulk of his time pursuing new innovations in the Photographic field. Quickly she is swept up in the morose nature of this family, but she finds joy in the studio with the lord of the manor and an unexpected love affair as well.
The casting of this movie was well done. Driver's performance as the ingenue suits her well and she captivates as the driving force behind the plot. Tom Wilkinson, who plays her love interest Charles Cavendish, is also well matched as the isolated naturalist who cannot bring himself to face the timultuous emotions the young Rosina inspires in him. As for the reason I chose to rewatch the film, Meyers is as engaging as always as the young college man who fixates his desire on Rosina nearly from the moment he meets her. The cinematography is also stunning, the gray and black tones of color set the mood of the film and the location is a fitting backdrop for this brooding story, whether or not it is actually Scotland I am not sure, but it comes off well none the less. And the scenes where Cavendish is shooting pictures of Rosina are simply wonderful.
My only real complaint about the film was that it lacked a bit of subtance when it came to the family. I would have liked to have more explanation about why the family was so dysfunctional. The mother spends all of her time obsessing about London society, though she has never been there before. Charles Cavendish obsesses over his work and not much else, although he manages his to air bigotry and male chauvinism often enough. The daughter, Clementina, only cares about drawing attention to herself and does so by showing off her dead animals and telling her disturbing dreams to anyone who might listen, and Henry Cavendish spends most of his time chasing after Rosina and engaging in generally creepy behavior because he was drawn to her differences and because he liked to shock his family, as demonstrated by his expulsion from school due to being found in an opium den. What draws a family to act like this? I don't know, because it was never hashed out anywhere in the film, and I like to think that Scotland is probably not as dreary as this film portrays it, certainly not dreary enough to lead people to behave like this.
Overall, not a bad film though. I enjoyed it so much more the second time through. Definitely worthwhile for any fan of period dramas, Minnie Driver, or Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (who shines in every scene he is in.) If you like dark melodrama or gothic films this is a must see. |
| Rating | | | Date | August 04, 2004 | | Summary | The fixation of memory and the essence of people | Content
| This movie, set in the late 1830's or early 1840's, combines the divide between Jews and Gentiles, the struggles women had to have in a patriarchal society, and the search for a permament fixative agent in photography.
Rosina is a young Jewish women whose father unexpectedly dies. This is disaster for women, because their career options were limited to three: marriage, prostitution, or domestic employment. Rosina though is quite plucky, and after a meeting with an elderly fishmonger, says she'd rather be a prostitute. Fortunately, she finds a situation in the paper, much to the distress of her mother, who wants her to carry on the tradition and be married to a Jew. However, she has to change her name to something more English, change into more acceptable clothing, and for her new adventure, to learn math and the New Testament.
Undaunted, Rosina, going by the alias Mary Blackchurch, goes to the Isle of Skye in Scotland and the Cavendishes to become a governess for their daughter Clementina. The mother is a bit of an insipid and weak-willed woman mostly in bed, whom Rosina/Mary describes as "speak[ing] like she has a lemon up her posterior." The daughter is a little horror at first, but they become friends. As for Charles Cavendish, he's busy working on research trying to find that elusive fixative process in photography. Rosina has had lot of learning from her family, and interested, becomes his assistant. He has some sample photos, but they quickly dissolve after exposure to sunlight. However, due to a serendipitous accident, Rosina discovers it, much to their delight. His disinterest in capturing human faces changes when Rosina becomes his subject, and before long, that blossoms into an affair. Rosina herself finds herself in a privileged position, as both she and Cavendish will become famous after reporting their findings to the Royal Society. This will thrust her above the ordinary woman, especially considering she's Jewish. She becomes more confident, more so than any woman. In short, she considers herself Cavendish's equal, and it's her own turn behind the lens that leads to disaster.
The concept of photography was quite revolutionary when formulated by Niepce and his partner Daguerre. As Rosina observes, photography captures the essence of people. The fixative agent serves to fix the memory of people. Nowadays, we take photography for granted, but think of what it meant back then, proof that someone existed, a visual historical document, that also influenced the schools of art. And only a privileged few could master the technique. And think what it meant for photographers like Matthew Brady in the Civil War or Jacob Riis in the 1890's.
The scene of Cavendish taking his pictures of Mary is revealing, as we see his single eye through the peephole of the camera, which then closes, after which the picture is taken. While it represents photographer and subject, it also represents the barrier between men and women as well as English and Jew. On one side of the lens, there are the favoured, men and English, who can see everything. All Jews and women can see is the eye of the elite looking at them, signifying their powerlessness. The fact that Mary gets that opportunity shows how lucky and plucky she is with the roles reversed.
As Rosina/Mary, Minnie Driver puts a lot into a very complex character. Initially, the viewer learns how Rosina wants to be on stage. The rich learning from her family lends to her scientific and rational capacity, but her romantic and idealistic side comes into play once she succeeds and feels she could be anything she wanted. In contrast, Tom Wilkinson's Cavendish is someone unable to cope with his mind out of control, in the realms of passion, more comfortable with passionless and dry science, objects as opposed to people. And it's a discomfort that turns to anger. Arlene Cockburn, who plays Lily the maid, also appeared in The Winter Guest as the tomboyish Nita.
An interesting movie that may go a bit long, but boosted by Minnie Driver, who's at her most sensuous here. |
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